I think the nylocks are a step up from the factory standard nuts that I have on all of my rigs. And at 4 of my 6 axles have been removed at some point during my ownership.
Bump stops would work well there.
CK5
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2000 GMT400 CREW CAB SFA SWAP-The Warden: Fuel leak fixed and awaiting surgery…
- Thread starter GWeakland620
- Start date
The ultimate goal for this truck is tow duty/family camping trips/small offroad adventures.
I think the nylocks are a step up from the factory standard nuts that I have on all of my rigs. And at 4 of my 6 axles have been removed at some point during my ownership.
Bump stops would work well there.
Overall I was very happy with how it towed. I left it in 3rd, and she cruised right along at 65mph never missing a beat.
The overall load was very stable. Something about the camper being in the bed helps with keeping everything planted.
The ride was fantastic as well. My wife even commented on the good ride quality.
I still want to do a couple of performance upgrades to help with the boost curve, and the MPG's. I would like to stay more with traffic and comfortably keep it at 70mph.
The truck did get around 14mpg's while towing the whole setup. Not bad at all.
As for suspension, the only real thing I would like to add is air bags. But I felt no other issues.
he already knows . .. few pages back we cover it . he just hasn't got to that point yet is all.
good feed back tho . I take it you have a set on something . I know I never had a customer complain about how the bag ride V add-a-leafs or hd packs .
I have ran air bags in an old truck, and my dad and brother both have some.
Yes, I have experience with air bags. More importantly I have experience with trucks that don't have enough spring and trucks with too much spring. Air is awesome.
I didn't know that the discussion had already happened though.
Carry on.
Well, I have the free flowing exhaust. I just need the free flowing intake to really take advantage of the true 4" system.What mods do you have in mind?
Then I would like to either make, or purchase a manual waste gate controller. Keeping 10-11 PSI throughout the entire RPM range would be a massive improvement. Then after that it's just little things like all synthetic fluids and ect.
I'm always open for more discussion. Pros and cons are something I way out for a while before purchasing anything.
The computer can still do the work:
https://www.kennedydiesel.com/detail.cfm?ID=44
I'm glad your design is working well, and that you all can get out and enjoy it.
I suggest thinking about an intercooler at some point down the road. Things heat up quickly after 7psi on a GM-whatever turbo. It made all the difference for my truck - truly transformative.
As always, looking good.
David
Which turbine do you have? I haven't spent enough time playing with Dad's, but his does not build significant boost until >2000RPM. It's not a great setup as it is currently configured. I'd much rather have a smaller turbine with more boost at lower speeds.
So, does that little system help with the boost curve too? Or does it only allow higher psi overall?
Mine is the factory setup still. I have plenty of power down low. For example leaving from a stop while towing, or passing someone in town, there is plenty of low end grunt to really move out of its own way.
But on the highway coming up to a bigger hill, it down shifts and loses all boost and momentum. If I anticipate the hill, and get some speed up, it's not really much of an issue.
The boost curve is a function of turbine geometry. There are some turbines that change shape while running, but they are few and fancy units. Otherwise you're stuck with the curve that you have, unless you get a different turbine.
The waste gate is the only thing you can easily control on your setup, that is what the controller is adjusting.
I see.
All this turbine stuff is new to me. I came from a "big blocks are the way to go while towing" family. I was the first to buy a diesel. Now my Dad has one and my brother wants to build a 6.5 truck too.
GM ran multiple turbine types, and they do not have the same boost curves. I don't know much about which unit is which, so I will defer to those with more hands-on experience in this area. Do you have a boost gauge yet?
The turbine is reacting to the amount of exhaust flow, which should only increase when you downshift. So downshifting should not cause the boost to drop unless you are also backing your foot off of the throttle. And you've told me previously that you never do that while driving.
Cool. As you can probably tell, I came from a "tiny engines are the cheapest way to go" family. Like, "K-car station wagon crammed full of kids" kind of family. I am the first person in a large family to own a 4x4 truck, and until recently the only one to drive any form of V8 at all. Dad still pulls the car hauler with a 2WD Ranger, despite having a diesel tow rig sitting in the pasture. He'd rather have the fuel mileage and get there slowly than pay extra for the speed that comes from having a 'proper' tow rig. The way he sees it, he just doesn't do enough towing to justify the big truck.
And then I come around here and people make fun of my slow rig towing stuff around. It doesn't bother me much, it's a whole lot nicer than what I used to use...
The answer to both is "yes".
KD's boost fooler and those like it diminish the pressure signal sent to the TCU, and thus decreases the wastegate duty cycle at any given point along the curve. I remember there being 3 duty cycles - 0% (closed), 66%, and 100% (open) - but I could be wrong. So, while it does not change the flow characteristics of the turbine itself, it will keep the wastegate closed longer, and so you will experience a higher average pressure (area under the boost-rpm curve), and a higher peak pressure.
I see "boost foolers" as tools that allow you to burn the fuel you're already injecting.
See also: "slippery slopes" and where they lead
David
Well, I do have the #9 resistor, so there is some fuel to burn....
"See also: 'slippery slopes' and where they lead."
You'll be blowing the head off of a 6BT in no time.
IIRC the downside to having the computer do it is you are still relying on the vacuum pump to function correctly.
the benefit of the manual control is that you can bypass the vacuum in case it fails (which they do).
for $100 the heath diesel piece was worthwhile.
the benefit of the manual control is that you can bypass the vacuum in case it fails (which they do).
for $100 the heath diesel piece was worthwhile.
